Before moving on to the prophecies regarding the preservation of a remnant and the future establishment of the kingdom, we need to look at one more covenant—the one God made with King David.
2 Samuel 7:8–16 “Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts….I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime….And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom….And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
The most important points in this covenant are that the throne of David is eternal and will always be occupied by a descendant of David. That wording used to puzzle me since there obviously hasn’t been a king on the throne in Israel for thousands of years. I remember learning at one time that the validity of the position is not dependent upon whether or not it is occupied. The next king that takes the throne of David in Jerusalem will be a descendant of David. When Jesus Christ establishes His kingdom, He will take the throne of His forefather David. The prophet Jeremiah confirmed the promise made to David.
Jeremiah 33:14–17 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel”
It is also important to note that this promise declares that the time is coming when the people of Israel will dwell in their own land never to experience wickedness at the hands of their enemies again. Jeremiah describes it as a time when Jerusalem shall dwell safely. I don’t think that anyone can argue that this must be referencing a time yet future since Israel has never dwelt safely in peace under her own king since the Babylonian captivity.
God’s covenant to David is also affirmed by the psalmist.
Psalms 89:3–4 “I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.”
Both the covenants with Abraham and David were unconditional. Though the covenant made with the people through Moses was conditional regarding possession of the land and experiencing God’s blessings, it does not negate either of the other two. It also provides for restoration of covenant and blessing when the people respond to the LORD in repentance and faith.
The LORD has revealed to us through His prophets that that time is coming.
Hosea 3:4–5 “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.”
Zechariah 12:8-10 “In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
The Lord Jesus also affirmed this truth. When talking to the Pharisees, He declared that His return was predicated upon their accepting Him as their Messiah and King.
Luke 13:35 “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
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3 comments:
I do also believe that God divinely still looks after Israel and protects it, but this is never a justification of any of Israel’s past or present acts..Now for many decades I too have studied the Bible and the prophetic scriptures, dispensational views related to Israel too.. It is unbelievable, undeniable that the professing Christian people who do not know the Bible can be so easily deceived, led astray too by many others, pastors and Jewish persons, Zionists included.. And had most people most Christians read the Bible for themselves they would have known the whole truth and would not have been so easily misled by others. There is no land promise awaiting the Jewish people in the future. The Hebrew people lost their deed to material territory as a result of their spiritual rebellion, which was consummated by their murder of the Messiah. (see Joshua 23:15-16).
The only hope now for those of Jewish background is in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16-17).
And the false Jewish supporters can solely refer to the Old Testament verses now such as Jeremiah Chapter 31, Joel 3:2, Amos 9:15 and Psalm 83: for they undeniably have no New Testament substantiations, support for Israel’s return or possession now of the past promised land.
THE PROPHET MOSES HIMSELF WAS NOW DENIED ENTRANCE TO THE PROMISED LAND FOR HIS OWN SIN OF DISOBEDIENCE NOW EVEN IN STRIKING THE ROCK TWICE INSTEAD OF ONCE AS HE WAS COMMANDED BY GOD TO DO SO. Next SO IS THE VALID, LEGITIMATE PRESENT ENTRANCE OF THE JEWS TO THE PROMISED LAND NOW ALSO BEING DENIED BY GOD FOR THEIR OWN LACK OF FULL OBEDIENCE TO ALL OF GOD’S COMMANDMENTS, HIS WORDS TO THEM..
And as we all do know the main temple in Jerusalem was fully destroyed to the ground in 70 AD by the Romans, as well as all of the temple records there in, so no one any longer can validate his Jewish ancestry or birth rights even.
Many evangelicals do now support a two-state solution and creation of a new Palestinian state that includes the vast majority of the West Bank. They support justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. If all of the learned men are going to be truly historically honest, surely they must admit that the Jews have every right to inhabit the land of their fathers, the covenant land given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by none other than God himself and admit that right was the same God who took the right next away from them, from that land now twice too… THE NEW TESTAMENT DOES NOT talk about the Jews return next third return to it too. But God still wants the Jews and Palestinians brothers to live in peace together.
http://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/08/anti-jewish/
Anonymous,
I am not defending Israel's actions as a nation now. And I agree that their only hope is in Jesus Christ. However, based upon the Abrahamic Covenant discussed in previous posts, I do believe there is a future for physical Israel as a nation. So much of prophetic scripture also affirms this. It is because of their breaking of the Mosaic Covenant (also discussed in previous posts) that they are now under judgment. But I believe that time is drawing to a close and that they will one day in the not far distant future turn back to the LORD and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. Unfortunately it will take a final refining judgment of seven years to bring them to that position. The New Testament doesn't negate the Old Testament. It adds to our understanding of God's will and purposes. No one needs to prove their Jewish ancestry any more as far as prophecy goes. Jesus is Messiah and King and will one day assume His throne in righteousness over all nations--Jew and Gentile (including the "Palestinians").
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